Utah State Magazine, Spring 2021

UTAHSTATE UTAHSTATEMAGAZINE.USU.EDU/DIGITAL-EDITION

Look Back: A Brief History of

Aggie Pranks

By Kristen Munson

Pranks, when done well, can be memorable, funny, and even unifying—particularly against a common adversary like Brigham Young University. A good prank requires ingenuity and a good dose of verve. Utah State University Aggies know a thing or two about that.

Photo courtesy of USU Special Collections and Archives.

SPRING 2021 • DIGITAL ISSUE

Photo collage by Liz Lord ’04 and Pixabay.

What Do the Memes We Share Say About Us?

By Kristen Munson

In mid-January, the internet was awash in sea shanty videos on TikTok. A week later, memes of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, bundled in a Burton coat and sweater mittens, made the rounds on Twitter. Within minutes, Sanders, originally photographed at the January 20 inauguration ceremony, was Photoshopped sitting on a subway, perched on the iconic Friends couch, and on the White House lawn near a boy pushing a lawnmower. Where do memes come from and why do we love them so?

Aggies Underground: Behind the Scenes with Gage Duffin By Kristen Munson

Photo by Nathan Stucki.

During his freshman year, Gage Duffin didn’t have big spring break plans, so he used his spare time to explore the Logan campus while it was devoid of people. That’s when his fascination with the Old Main bell tower began. After a year and a half of begging for someone to let him into the tower of the four-story structure—mostly in the form of memes posted on social media—USU surprised Duffin with a private tour of the restricted space.

Now, the political science and English major is the host of a TV series on USU’s official social media channels, bringing tens of thousands of viewers into all of the obscure, bizarre, and inaccessible places USU has to offer.

TJ Davis Finds His Happy Place

By Jeff Hunter ’96 "I have learned that comedy and laughter aren’t the Photo by Levi Sim.

opposite of difficulties and trials. So often we think its comedy vs. tragedy or laughter vs. sorrow, but they’re not the opposite,” says TJ Davis. “Rather, I think it’s a remedy that can help you through some of the most difficult times that you have."

Hollywood Hamster: Mark Walton Keeps Rolling with the Punches By Jeff Hunter ’96 renowned in the entertainment industry for his substantial abilities as a story artist rather than a voice actor. But during the creation of Bolt, Walton was so good at providing what was essentially placeholder dialogue for an actor with a more recognizable name, that the Salt Lake City native was given the gig—and some of the most humorous lines in the movie.

What is he up to now?

Illustration by Elizabeth Lord ’04.

Mark Walton ’95 is more

The Dark Side of Memes

By Kristen Munson

A meme, for the uninitiated, is not just a cat joke on the internet. A meme is an

Photo courtesy of Mark Walton ’95.

idea or behavior that spreads and evolves as people interact with them, often through the internet. Memes can make you laugh. Memes can make you scared. They can be a benign source of entertainment or engineered to promote information that is false. When the latter occurs online, it exploits human fallibilities and can spread disinformation like wildfire.

Humor in Dark Times

By Kristen Munson Medicine is not considered a bastion of comedy. Many doctors work in high-stress, high-stakes environments where patient health is at risk. Where is the humor in that?

Illustration

by Elizabeth Lord ’04.

Image by Levi Sim and Liz Lord ’04.

Accidental Catfishing: The Best Prank One Student Never Planned By Kristen Munson Aggies like moving heavy things where they ought not to be—like dinosaur mascots balanced on apartment rooftops and electric wheelchairs perched atop the Block A. You are partial to glitter bombs. And water wars. You are perhaps too talented at sneaking into apartments to remove items like doors and light bulbs and food. Speaking of which, you enjoy placing foods where no food should go—ramen in the bathtub, sardines in the closet, oranges in the oven. But our favorite Aggie submission for best prank was an honest mistake that spiraled out of control. Sophomore Kelsey Benson explains how it happened.

Photo by Levi Sim.

contact with the individual responsible for the popular @CaptCraigSmith Twitter handle via telephone. This person prefers to remain anonymous because “it might ruin the fun behind the account if people knew who it was.” In the spirit of Watergate and the legendary reporting tandem of Woodward & Bernstein, we have elected to retain this individual’s anonymity and refer to the person responsible for Capt. Craig F. Smith’s voice as simply, Deep Tweet.

Illustration by Elizabeth Lord ’04.

By Jeff Hunter ’96

Utilizing a complex maze of backdoor channels, Utah State magazine eventually made

Spontaneous Acts of Joy By Kristen Munson 2020 was not a year people often describe as joyful. And yet, some memes took homebound people where they needed to go—including Utah State magazine’s editorial team.

Spring is Coming Photo and words by Levi Sim Photo by Levi Sim.

The Blue and the Aggie Blue: Capt. Craig F. Smith and the Mother of all Aggie Twitter Accounts